Vampire Princess
by Pacifica Luna Diana
Summary: "I want it to stop." "You want what to stop?" I took his hand in mine and stared into his emerald eyes. "All of it. I want to stop this fight between the creatures of day and night." [Veronica is a vampire royal that has been trained for 200 years to do one thing. Lead Dracula's army into battle against the world of the day.] (Has VA references)
1. Relocating

_Transylvania_

They gathered below them. Shadow vampires craned their necks to get a better look at their next ruler. Above them was their princess, Veronica Tepes. Her hair black and free-flowing, eyes red and staring, skin like porcelain with a simple red kimono draped over her, and a katana strapped to her hip.

"They are weak. Their minds are nothing more than blank parchments that await orders to be written on. Non of them are truly fit for battle." She assessed. Her red eyes glared at the troops below. Her eyes gleamed with disapproval. Next to her was her king, her father, Dracula. "Your input?"

"They do not question my orders. They will not question yours as well. These shadow vampires do as told and are easy to dispose of when they do not complete orders as needed." He answered. The corners of Veronica's lips turned upward to reveal sharpened canines. "What do you think?"

"Doable. They will make excellent sparing subjects." She answered. Dracula nodded in approval. He waved off the shadow vampires while leading Veronica inside the castle. She followed close behind her father. They said nothing to each other, but orders were given. Veronica nodded and left the castle. "Time to get to work."

Her hair changed from black to brown, her eyes went from bloody to chocolate, cheeks turned rosy, and fangs hid themselves amongst her teeth. The kimono shorten while the folds melded together to form a red dress, the katana thickened and morphed into a shoulder bag, and small stops of the shadows wound around her legs to form boots.

She walked out of the nearest shadow and into the daylight. Veronica welcomed the sunlight like it was a gift. Her life predetermined by birthright to be in darkness. Every bit of sunlight was special to her. Even if it was clouded under the New York sky and shrouded by trees in the school courtyard.

_Veronica's POV_

"Excuse me, I'm new and I was wondering if you could give me my schedule. My uncle dropped me off and took off." I explained while walking into the attendance office. The lady behind the desk looked up from her computer and then back down. She punched in a few keys before looking back at me. I walked over to the desk while adjusting the shoulder strap on my bag. "He said that he was late for a meeting and couldn't help me sign in."

"No problem. Just head right on in, miss…" She trailed off. I pulled out a student ID from St. Vladimir's Academy over in Montana. My photo could have been better, but it was the best I had. Uniform was a bit snug because they didn't have anymore uniforms in my size. Stinking Moroi and their small bodies. "Veronica Tepes. The principal is expecting you. He greets the new students personally."

"Thanks." I replied while heading into the principal's office. It was plain and a bit simple. Didn't seem that much different from Headmistress Kirova's office. He was looking out the window when I walked in. His hands were folded nearly behind his back. I bit back a laugh and sat down in one of the chairs. "Excuse..."

"Veronica Tepes. Straight A student, completed your physical education requirements early, captain of your last school's material arts team, and you taught the class. I'm impressed." He started. I folded my hands on my lap an stared at him. "Welcome to Midtown High."

"A pleasure to be here. I apologize that my uncle could not be here, but I hope that it isn't a problem." I greeted. He turned to me and studied me. A quick once over and then he went to sit behind his computer. I stared at it for a bit before pretending to look nervous. A strange feeling the humans have, nervousness. "Will it?"

"Not at all. I was actually wondering what your uncle does for a living. If you don't mind my asking." He asked. I nodded and shifted in my seat. If I stayed at St. Vladimir's, I wouldn't have to pretend to be this damn fidgety.

"He is a neurologist. A good one at that, quite generous as well." I leafed through some of the papers in my bag. One held a photo of my "uncle" from my mom's side. "Dr. Stephen Strange, my mom's brother."

Reality check: Dr. Strange went to the same medical school as my mom before she met my dad. They didn't like each other, but they cared for each other like brother and sister. After she died, he helped out with me by secretly enrolling me at St. Vladimir's. When my dad found out, he took advantage of it and sent me here to Midtown High. Joy.

"Yet you are enrolled as Tepes. Why?" His voice held a small warning. There is something about him that I hate.

"Tepes is my paternal surname. A proud one at that. Mind it be of an impaler, I simply take pride of my royal lineage." I retorted. Venom dripped from my tone as I watched the principal take whatever notes he had on his computer and print them.

"I'll be contacting your uncle later today to finish up your portfolio. In the meantime," He handed me my schedule with a smile on his face. "Head on to class."

I took the paper and then took off. All the hallways were empty, except the janitor. Though even he failed to see the small tendrils of shadows following me. Each of them were swirling around me. With each step I took, the circle of shadows expanded.

"What are those things?" I whipped around and came face to face with a blonde boy. His hair was to his shoulders and his eyes like emeralds. He wore a regular T-shirt, khakis, sandals, and had a sweater tied around his waist. Around his neck was a metallic necklace with a small engraving on it.

"What are you talking about?" I feigned ignorance while keeping my eyes away from the tendrils. They began to disperse as I walked closer to the boy. He looked at my feet and then met my eyes. They sparkled in a way, like the full moon's reflection in the pond in the palace courtyard. "I doubt the boots will fit you."

"Do you know what those things were?" He asked. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked down. My boots looked designer, but my money would be on the shadows. "Didn't you see them?"

"I just see my boots and your sandals. That's it." I kept my voice leveled and free of any knowledge of the tendrils. The last thing I needed was a student questioning me in a place where the principal might as well be a spy. "Maybe you should go see the nurse."

"No. I'm fine." He answered. I gave him a once-over and waited until he really dropped the topic. "Are you new here?"

"Just moved from Montana." I moved to the side and began to walk down the hall while looking at the lockers. The luck I would get to have the devil's number as my locker. "My dad went on a business trip so I'm living with my uncle right now."

"Who's your uncle?" He walked beside me and looked at the hallway in front of us. I scrunched my nose and looked back at the papers the principal gave me. This was going to be impossible.

"Stephen Strange, he's a neurologist. He isn't really my uncle, but he's the closest thing I have to one." I shook my head seeing as I finally give up on searching for the demonic locker.

"Having trouble finding your locker?" He tilted his head to the side while I restrained myself from ripping up the paper. I handed him the paper and followed him towards the end of the hallway. Smack center of the alcove was a locker with the plate ripped out, my locker. "One of the other students took it out."

"Superstitious much?" I asked as I opened the locker. The guy stayed next to me, like some kind of creeper.

"Superstition is the poetry of life." He replied. I shook my head and jammed some of my stuff into the locker. It all fit easily, but it lacked that small sense of me so I decided to hang some old photos. One of my friends from St. Vlad's, a couple of the castle, another of my uncle with me at the Coney Island boardwalk, a few more from the other countries where I've been, and one of my mom. "Woah."

"I get around a bit too much. My dad travels, I follow when I can. My uncle pulled me out of his system and put me in the school's." I pulled out a notebook and a pen before kicked the locker shut. The guy handed me my papers back and stared at me. "Need something?"

"We have next period together, I'll show you the way." He shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention to the bell. I bit the inside of my lip with my fang and waited until the blood began to pool in my mouth. Quickly, I swallowed it and lightly licked the bite.

"Thanks. That's very kind of you."

"Don't mention it."

The bell rang without warning and now I regret standing right below it. I cringed as it rang and waited for it to stop. Once it did, the ringing continued in my ears. The guy lifted himself from the lockers and started to walk towards our next period.

"Name's Danny, Danny Rand."

"Veronica Tepes." He didn't look at me, but I looked at his back. In the dark corners of the hall, shadows sharpened and followed my steely gaze. What a perfect target for my next meal…


	2. Covering Up

You can call it drabby, uncompleted, unmaintained, whatever. Just don't call this classroom, clean. There was ash on the countertops, soot covering the walls, and a bit of grim hiding in the corners. The floor tiles were muddy and even the chalkboard has seen better days. At the center of this little classroom-apocalypse was a student covered head to toe in soot and ash. In his right hand was a beaker with sodium and his left was water.

"Someone go get the janitor, now. We need this cleaned up as soon as possible." The teacher was barking at the students, nearly howling at them. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that he was a werewolf. "As for you two..." He pointed at us. "What is you explanation for being late?"

"I couldn't find my locker, sir. Danny was also showing me my other classes. See, I just transferred here from Montana, I'm not exactly used to this type of setting." I bowed my head slightly while keeping my eyes shut. Last thing I needed was my cover being blown.

"Veronica Tepes?" I nodded and raised my head. The teacher pressed his lips together and wrote down on his clipboard. I lowered my eyes and waited for him to talk. "Welcome to Midtown. Are you familiar with chemical reactions?"

"About as much as I can be. A tip for your student, though, would be to use sand to absorb the heat of the explosion when combining sodium and water. It helps to contain it as opposed to this." I gestured to the classroom and then to the boy in the center. His hair was covered with remains of the sodium, but some brown stuck through. Eyes were a bright blue and stuck out against the black. Not my type.

"It was Sam that set off the explosion!" The kid yelled. Danny sighed from where he was next to me, I did the same. Own up to your mistakes, dude.

"Cool it, Parker!" Another student yelled, Sam. I shook my head and kicked each of the boys in the shins. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself! Help the guy clean up because I've seen stupid at work and this is the work of two stupids, not one." I jabbed his chest with my finger before pushing him towards the other boy. "Own up to what you did!"

"Ms. Tepes, this is not how we handle things at this school!" The teacher was practically yelling at me. I looked at him and nodded. I had to tone it down a few notches, humans don't function on the same level as vampires do. Vampires were more towards strength as opposed to the mind. "Daniel, go get the janitor."

Danny nodded and went out of the classroom. I huffed and went back to the entrance of the classroom. As of right now, it was the darkest area here.

* * *

I sat in the back of the class during European history and doodled in my notebook. These people were behind, but I didn't exactly blame them. I've been alive since 1891. My tutors taught me history starting from there. Slowly, I have watched as history changed along with it's interpreters.

"Ms. Tepes?" I looked at the teacher and nodded. "Can you tell me the name of one of the aristocrats of the seventeenth century?"

"Grayson. Alexander Grayson to be exact. He is an American who moved to London in order to have a true jumpstart in his business. His company was Grayson Enterprises and they were the leaders in geothermal technology at the time. That is until an explosion killed several hundred people at a demonstration for his generator." I looked back at the doodles on my notebook and nearly smiled. It was the symbol for the Order of the Dragon. My dad hated the Order, I used to work for them. They said I was their best hunter. "Though, not many people are sure what happened to him after the explosion."

"Thank you, Ms. Tepes." He nodded and went back to writing on the board. Danny looked at me from his seat and smiled slightly, before looking back at the board. I stared at the back of his head for a bit as the shadows shivered in the comers of the room. "Now, can anyone tell me who..."

I zoned out and let my spirit wander around the city. This city was a hotspot for hunting and chaos. It felt perfect because I didn't stand out. However, the chaos in the city seemed to be daily. I normally sent out my spirit to search for it.

A shadow moved past from the buildings and left motionless bodies in it's wake. I smirked and raised my hand. The teacher nodded and pointed at me. "May I use the restroom?"

He nodded again before going back to the class. I packed my stuff quickly and ran out of the room. In the restroom, I used the shadows to travel to Times Square. On the way, I released my vampire form and transformed the shadows into a black cloak, a black bodysuit, and black boots. My bag morphed into a belt with throwing knives and small bombs.

"Ya know these are my hunting grounds, Mordred." The vampire whipped around and snarled at me. I snarled back before attacking. He dodged my first attack, but was caught off guard by my second. I kicked him in the jaw and sent him flying towards the news billboard. "You better not mess with me."

He fell from the building with smoke rising from his body, his mouth foamed up, and his eyes completely white. For a moment, he was alive. That is until I impaled him in the heart with a lunar stake. From there, he disintegrated into ash.

"Don't mess with the royal family." I packed the stake back into my belt and began to walk away from the scene. Behind me, voices began to mutter as people gathered around the scene. "Oh, and those of you who are hiding, best get out now… Otherwise I'll have a real good time hunting y'all down."

"You know, I've never gone hunting before. What's it like?" I growled inwardly and turned to face Spider-Man. He hung from his web as he spoke.

"Lovely, ya really should try it. Now, if ya don't mind… I have a pervious engagement." I waved my hand and began to walk away again. He shot his web and it wrapped around my wrist. I pulled it forward with him along with it. He landed on the pavement in front of me. "I told ya. I have better things to do than to play around with a spider like ya."

"Then how about a tiger?" I pulled Spider-Man up and whipped him towards White Tiger. The two landed in a nearby building. Above me was Nova and coming from the back were Iron Fist and Powerman.

"His majesty will kill me if he finds out that I've been toying with lowlifes." I shook my head and spun to the duo running towards me. Nova shot a beam at me, but I dodged with ease. My hood had concealed my eyes, but it did not help with him. "Shadows! Scatter!"

My cloak faded into the near shadows as I began to fight against Powerman. He managed a few hits on me, but I kept my ground. He must have been shocked because he stopped attacking long enough for me to pull out a lunar knife and cut him bicep. Blood flowed easily from the wound and he stopped attacking. I kicked him in the jaw and punch his gut. He flew into the building behind him.

"Powerman!" Nova flew to help him while I was left with Iron Fist. He came at me with his fist glowing. I blocked him and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. He was fast, almost as fast as me, but he wasn't as strong. I knocked him off his feet and kicked him towards Nova. Both landed on Powerman and caused a bit of concrete to fall on them.

"Next time… Don't mess with Vampira." I faded into the shadows and went back to school. I emerged from the bathroom with my clothes from before and my bag. Danny and his friends did not show up at all the rest of the day.

* * *

I walked over to Dr. Strange's house after school and let myself in. The shadows dispersed as I made my way to his study. Stephen was sitting at his desk, he was looking over documents for a few of his patients.

"How was school today?" I smiled and went over to the adjoining kitchen. It was fully stocked with just about every food in the world and every single blood type. The doc sometimes treated walk-ins while I drank the leftover blood.

"Cool. I have the devil's locker." I pulled out a bag of O negative and a cup. Stephen laughed from his desk as I poured the blood into the cup. I took a bag of chips and garlic spread before taking the snacks to my room. Despite the myth, vampires are unaffected by garlic. In fact, it is quite delicious. "I'll be doing homework."

I spent the next half-hour eating, doing homework, and watching TV in my room. Just like the rest of the house, my room was red with black trim on the wall edges. The floor was carpet, all the furniture was made from black oak, the bed was as solid as stone, a flat screen TV was built into one wall, a closet was built into another, the bathroom was across the hall, there was a small DJ booth towards the other wall, and my walls had different posters of supernatural books/movies and different bands.

A small tapping came from my window and made me turn off my music. I walked over to the window and let the small bat into my room. There was a small note in its claws and it had a small collar on. I took the note from it and watched as it flew out my window and into the city. There was an _A _written on the note along with my last name. I smiled and opened the note.

_Veronica,_

_ My dearest sister, I heard that you were in New York and I would love it if you would visit me. You and I have not seen each other since last winter, we must catch up. Kathy is driving me absolutely mad and I doubt she will let up in the near future. Please do your older brother a favor and help me keep my sanity._

_ I understand that you are on a mission for father, I am willing to assist you with it. Anything you need, come to me. Do not hesitate to do so at anytime. It is my responsibility to do so as your older brother. _

_Until we meet again,_

_Alucard Tepes_

I put the note in my desk and plopped myself onto my bed. If there was anyone I trusted on this planet, it was Alucard. He _was _a persona of father, but he grew into his own person. At first, he trained me to fight vampires and then he gave me command of a part of the shadow vampire army. By far, he was the best big brother ever.

* * *

I stared at the large glass building in front of me before walking in. The lobby was empty, but beautiful. Windows took place of walls, the elevator was crystallized, the front desk was marble, and the floors were made from white oak. All the while, a candle and crystal chandelier hung over everything.

"V!" Alucard walked up to me and embraced me tightly. I returned his embrace and inhaled his scent of the forest. Black haired, brown eyed, and paled skinned, Alucard looks like a fresh out of college bachelor. "What took you so long?"

"Coloring my hair. I really should stop, but it is like mother's now." I twirled a strand of my hair as we walked to the elevator. Alucard laughed at me before smiling. Add to vampiric charm, he wore a crimson dress shirt; black jeans, cowboy boots, and a necklace with a red gem on it. "Don't laugh! I'll let you know that I did it to forget about St. Vlad's."

"Sure you did." He draped his arm over my shoulders and let out another low chuckle. Other than being born from spirits, he has the gift of telepathy and empathy. No matter what I feel, he will know. "Now, close your eyes as I make every teenage girl dream of your's come true."

Smiling, I closed my eyes and waited as he guided me towards his apartment. When there, he gave me the okay and I opened my eyes. There were designer labels laid out on the couch, floor, and a moveable coat rack; smart phones of different brands were displayed on the coffee table, and by the far wall was a miniature salon. Taken by surprise, my hair flattened out and turned pure black while my eyes remained brown.

"There she is! There is the real Veronica!" Alucard hugged me and lead me further into this small wonderland. I shook my head and skipped lightly to the clothes before sifting through them. They were red, black, denim, royal blue, and a sea foam white. All of my favorite colors. "This is one of the reasons why I am one of the most eligible bachelors in New York."

"Shut up and help me pick!" I started to sift through the outfits and picked out everything, but a couple of blue and white ones. From the purses, I picked out my top five favorites. When I got to the phones, I automatically picked out the White DoCoMo Aquos phone. Not bothering yet with the shoes, Alucard dragged me to the salon and began to cut, wash, dry, and style my hair. "You work with the hands of an artist."

"Naturally." He gave me a quick spin before revealing how I looked in the mirror. My hair was parted over my right eye and cut so it barely went to my shoulders in two layers. My side bangs hung loosely over my left eye while the rest of my hair ended in loose wavy black-brown curls. It was completely different than how any woman in my family has had her hair. "You look perfect."

"I have you to thank for that." I stood up and hugged Alucard. He smelled like sawdust and coffee. "How much longer until we execute the plan?"

"Not much longer, ma petite soeur. Not much longer." He pet my hair and we remained still until the sun had long set. At this time, I had to go back to Dr. Strange. He still needs to train me in how to control the Eye of Agamotto, that way I can break free of my father's control.


	3. Meeting The Team

This past week had been the same routine as it was back at St. Vlad's. School, homework, eat, hunt, practice, sleep. Except, now I am hunting down vampires that threaten my territory. I'm just glad that it's Friday and that I can rest instead of worrying about waking up early tomorrow.

Just as I was about to turn in for the night, Dr. Strange appeared in my room in full sorcerer gear. I glared at him through half open eyes and waited for him to talk. "Get dressed. We're heading out."

"Where are we going?" I pulled out my catsuit from the dresser along with my katana. He started to walk out of the room, but not before tossing me a domino mask.

"I'm taking you to SHIELD. There is a small request made by Fury. What he's asking is more up your ally." He walked out of my room and I got ready. I slipped into the black suit and boots before putting on the mask, tying the katana to my belt, strapping on my boots, and pulled out the Eye of Agamotto. The Eye attached itself to my shoulder and made a cape of light go down my back and below my arm, concealing the katana.

I flew down the hall and to the den where Dr. Strange stood at the center of a magic circle. He motioned me over and I landed next to him. The circle engulfed us and were transported to the tricarrier. Agents streamed around us, a few teenagers wandered around with a sabertooth tiger. I spun around and laughed, this place is so cool.

"This place is smashing!" My accent dipped to my old one from the 1800s. Dr. Strange smiled at me as my hair turned black and curled. Hopefully, I was moving too fast for anyone to notice. "Honestly, this is the bet aircraft that I have ever been on."

Fury walked up to us with his hands folded behind his back. I smirked and made my way back to Dr. Strange. Spider-man and his friends came walking in through one of the doors. They seemed better now then when I pummeled then the other day. I wonder how long it took for them to heal.

"Hey, Doc. Who's the flashlight?" Spider-man pointed to me as he addressed Dr. Strange. I growled and took a step towards him. An electric current ran through the floor and towards Spidey. "OW! Geez, sorry."

"My name is Akari. I've been training with Dr. Strange ever since I was a child." I folded the cape under my knees and sat down. It stiffened into a chair as I leaned back until I was comfortable. Doc wakes me up, I'm not going to behave to his standards. "Why did you bring me here, doctor?"

"I think that Director Fury will have a better answer than I would." He motioned to Fury, who was studying us with his hands still folded.

"Thank you, Dr. Strange." He turned to me. "Now as you know, there has been sightings of a vampire all throughout the Manhattan area. She took down my team without breaking a sweat. And now, she is going around town, killing every single vampire she comes in contact with. Based on what my team saw and what Dr. Strange tells me about your abilities, you might be able to enlighten us about the situation."

He pulled up a holographic recording of my first fight here, and then more from throughout the week. Were they stalking me? Well, at least they can't trace my location. The appearances are too random to find a pattern. I walked around the holograms and held my chin. This was going to be tough to spin.

"Definitely a vampire, not a purebred, but I wouldn't say daywalker. The eyes would depict some sort of high status, but other than that..." I leaned closer and noticed that my stake was still visible. Well, might as well. "She has training. She isn't a normal vampire, she's been tried to kill."

"How can you tell?" Powerman walked over to the hologram and looked at it from my point of view. I zoomed in on the stake. "And? What about it?"

"It's a specialized stake given to vampire hunters. They mimic the sun's uv rays to the point where the target will burn up. Doing that, I'd narrow it down to a few organizations."

Iron Fist came over and zoomed in on the shadows. My form was blending into them. "Shadow vampire?"

"No, royalty. Umbrakinesis is an ability directly related to Dracula."

"So your saying that she's Dracula's daughter." Nova hovered to the other side with a smile prominent on his face.

"Not necessarily. She could have been turned by him, but that's as far as I'll go. I'd have to see her in person to continue. Right now I'm just speculating."

"That's why Fury asked for the both of us." Dr. Strange stood next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "He wants us to track her."

I gave him a hard look. "I told you that I quit hunting long well before I became your student. I will not return to hunting."

He looked at everyone else. "Please give us a moment." He pulled me away and towards the viewing deck. "I know that you are trying to cover your tracks, but you have to do this. It will help when you learn to break away from him."

"And if he finds out and takes over again? Then what?"

"Then we do what it takes to bring you back." He placed his hands on my shoulders. "I promised your mother that I would protect you and I will keep that promise until I die."

I sighed and closed my eyes, which threatened to turn red. When it passed, I opened my eyes again and looked over my shoulder. Everyone was staring at us while Nova and Spider-Man talked.

"I don't trust her." Spider-Man's voice was hushed as he spoke. "Something about her doesn't seem right."

"What happened to your spirit, Webs? I thought that you were all about recruiting." Nova's was slightly louder, he was talking to all of them.

"Shut up, Buckethead."

"Both of you shut up, we need her help and that is that." White Tiger practically hissed at them. I hid a smirk, she sounds like she should've been their team leader. I turned my attention back to Dr. Strange and clenched my jaw. The shadows shivered slightly as some began to recede and take form in the city below. Show time.

"This better work, doc." I turned and made my way back to the team with Dr. Strange close behind me. We shared a look with Fury before teleporting the team to the rooftops of Times Square. "This was where she first showed up?"

Spider-Man walked up to me. "Yup. She kicked our butts after taking down another vampire."

I laughed and summoned a shadow vampire to appear on the opposite building. Spidey and his friends must have caught sight of it because they were already prepared to fight. Next to it was another figure with a black cloak obscuring her face. I felt like smiling at my handiwork. The clone looked exactly like me, as long as she kept her hood on. The last thing I need is them recognizing my face and tracking me to the high school.

"Stay here." I jumped off the building's edge and used the eye to give me a boost over to where the shadows were. They hesitated slightly, but still attacked me. The clone was a hard fighter, but she didn't do any real damage. Iron Fist came over and joined me in the fight. She smiled and began to fight on her own. I lost control of her. "Be careful."

"Please, I'm not going to let her beat me again." Spider-Man was immediately tossed to the side by the clone.

"Be careful in what ya say, spider." She gave me one hard look and then disappeared. The shadow vampire, however, multiplied and began to attack everyone down below.

"Crap." I jumped down and summoned a staff from the eye. I began to fight the hoard, what did she do? She knows that I can't control the shadow vampires in public. So why would she disobey me? The others came and joined me in fighting. We kept at it while more began to appear.

"There's too many of them!" Powerman said as he began to fight another vampire. I bit my lip until I drew blood, I don't have a choice.

"Shadows of the past, creatures of night. Retreat from my fury, as I bring Agamotto's light." I summoned a ball of light and threw it into the air. The shadow vampires looked at me before returning to the darkness. The light dispersed after they left, returning the city to its electronic glow. "Finally, that's over."

I felt my knees go weak and the world began to go black. Times Square began to look like the London from when my mom lived. Someone caught me and when I looked to see his face, it was shadowed. He was wearing a suit and he had blonde hair...


	4. Past Memories

_I was standing in my father's study, he was there with another person. They were both facing me. Dad was behind the other man. I couldn't see his face, but he wore the same suit and his hair was blonde. His lips moved, as if telling me something I couldn't hear._

_The barrels of a gun turned behind him, my dad was holding a gun to his head. He unlocked the safety and fired. I saw blood, his blood. My world painted in what I thought to be a comforting color. Now I felt like crying, I don't know why. Did I know this man?_

_Were we friends?_

_What was his name?_

_Why did my dad kill him?_

_What did he say to me before dying?_

_..._

I bolted from my bed and watched as the blankets pooled around me. My brother's bat hung from the windowsill while a small black kitten rested beneath it. She seemed peaceful under the sunlight, I didn't feel like waking her up. I stood up quietly and made my way to the kitchen. Doc was there making country omelettes like the ones we are whenever he visited Montana.

"Take a seat. I'm almost done." I sat at the island and waited for him to serve up the messed up eggs. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by a motorbike derby and then by a monster truck rally." I slumped into the bar chair and tried to cover my face. Doc put a mug in front of me and poured in coffee. I took the bowl of sugar cubes and dropped one in. The coffee changed color slightly and then went back to its former black color. "What happened after I collapsed?"

"I took you home. Fury objected at first, but I convinced him to let me take you." He pulled out two plates and served up the eggs before joining me at the island. "With the promise that I take you to headquarters later today for an evaluation."

"Eval? For what?"

"He wants to see if you can be of any use to him." He poked his eggs and then stabbed them. I could almost feel the anger radiate from his being. Was this another of those decade long grudges that I'll regret being a part of later on? "I'm not not sure whether or not to take you or to teleport you to the monastery."

"Well, we don't have much of a choice. Unless you want to give him a reason for hiding me." I scooped up a bit of my eggs and continued eating. I was right, he knew that. "We just have to keep going as planned."

"Are you sure that you want to do this?"

"Yes."

"Is it what you want?"

"It's what I _need_ to do. I don't have a choice of if I want to or not." I took another sip of my coffee just as a sharp pain ran through the back of my head.

_"What you need to do is not always what is best. Sometimes the best thing to do is what you want to do." He took my hand and slipped a small box into it. "I need to stay away from you. However, I want to spend my life with you."_

_I opened the box and smiled at him. His face was still shadowed in the night. His expression a complete mystery to me. Why am I smiling?_

_Do u like him?_

_Did I like him?_

_What's his name...?_

"Veronica? Veronica?" I was holding my head while Doc was trying to get my attention. It felt like someone else is trying to talk to me, to read my thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's just that my father wishes to speak with me." I stood up and made my way back to my room. I could feel my father watching everything I do, hearing everything I say. His face popped up in my mind, where he was stayed for even longer. "What is it?"

"Were you able to infiltrate them?" His voice echoed in my mind.

"It is all too easy. I am to be evaluated by their director. Ten all that is left is to gain their trust." I looked in the mirror and let my hair turn black and my eyes red. I looked like him, from before he lost Mina. "It won't be long."

"Good. Now tell your brother to stop his eavesdropping and go back to keeping the covens at bay." His image began to disappear from my mind.

"Yes, my king." I closed my eyes and waited for the pain to subside. I felt my eyes change back to brown before I opened them. My brother's bat remained at the windowsill and the kitten began to walk back and forth, occasionally stopping to stare at a new sound. "Tell Alucard that father knows that he is watching me. We must be more discreet about our movements."

The bat flew off and the kitten turned to me. It's large yellow eyes staring into my own eyes, almost like judging me. I smiled and walked over to her, I believe that it's a her. She sat down and stared up at me as I pulled a loose thread from my shirt and waved it just above her head. She began to paw at it, trying to catch it. I chuckled and smiled at her naïveté.

"Nyx, goddess of the night and vampires. A suiting names for you." I pulled the string away and scooped her up in my arms. She purred as I pulled her closer to my heart. "You remind me of Lance, he was such a good cat. Always so loyal and very kind..."

_"Lance! I-I get it. You can beat me in a maze. Now just tell me where you are." I was walking through the garden's maze with a lantern in my hands. The moon was shining above me, almost full. Lance had gone ahead in the gardens and I couldn't find him or the exit. "Lance? I-it's not funny anymore."_

_I rounded another corner and found myself face to face with a shadow. It was definitely a vampire, but I couldn't tell who. I set down the lantern and changed my stance. Lance would have to wait. The vampire charged, but I was ready. It wrapped it's hands around my neck, I wrapped my legs around his arms and moved to stand up. His bones cracked as they were bent awkwardly. I wrapped one hand around his neck and pulled. His head came clean off._

_"Do not fool around with your princess." I dropped his head and used the lantern to set the body on fire. Once lit, I walked in the other direction. Behind me, footsteps echoed my own. I slowed to a stop and looked over my shoulder. There was another man standing behind me with his arms folded. "What took you so long? I was getting worried."_

_"Well, I was on my way when I heard the strangest sound." He walked closer towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist._

_"And that would be?"_

_"The sound of my love fighting another vampire. Are you alright?" He held my face and turned my head so I looked at him._

_"I am fine. It is he you should worry about. I doubt that he will be walking ever again." I smiled and watched as a smile formed on his lips._

_"Remind me why I worry for you."_

_"Because it is your instinct to worry, my young wolf." I tapped his nose with one hand and lowered the lantern with the other._

_"True. But you make me worry more than I should." He leaned closer towards me._

_"Do I?"_

_"Of course. Everything about you worries me."_

_"Let's change that." I dropped the lantern and just as the light flickered out, I kissed him._

I walked back to the kitchen with Nyx still in my arms just as Doc was ending a phone call. He turned his attention to me, then Nyx, and then back to me. His expression remained the same mix of worry and surprise as it was from when I got up and left.

"You do realize that you are taking care of her, right?" He pointed to Nyx, who hissed at him. I pat her head and stroked her back until she stopped.

"I know. And I am ready to do so." I went to sit when Nyx jumped from my arms and onto the floor. She probably smelled a mouse and went to hunt. "A natural huntress. That's good."

I sat down and continued to eat my eggs. "What did your father want?"

"He wants me to start off my end game. He wants this to be done," I took a bite of my eggs and swallowed the rest of my coffee. "By All Hallow's Eve."


End file.
